All Blacks demolition proof that ‘Tony-ball’ and Springboks’ 'skop, skiet and donner' can live together

Five minutes before the end of the Springboks’ record-breaking win over the All Blacks, I told my wife I wasn’t going to bother hanging up the washing.

As an All Black supporter from Namibia, she thought I was being smug about the ongoing trouncing in Wellington. But, as André Esterhuizen bumped Beauden Barrett into the stands for the Boks’ sixth try of the match, I explained to her that if I did hang up the washing, we’d be going to work on Monday smelling of boerewors and chops marinated in Six Gun Spice.

Yep, as a veteran braaier myself, I knew the country’s finest kameeldoring would fill the air with smoke when scrumhalf Cobus Reinach kicked the ball into touch to put the All Blacks out of their misery.

A part of me, however, wanted the Boks to have one more go — to try and put up 50 against the New Zealanders. To do it for those Bok teams who lost 57–15 in Durban in 2016 and 57–0 in Albany in 2017. But that was probably unnecessary, like your spouse bringing out marshmallows on a stick to braai because the coals are still good.

The statement had been made. Not only had the Springboks dismantled the All Blacks on their own turf, but they had done so with a style of rugby that was brutish, yet unmistakably fresh, fearless, and fluid.

It’s been almost 18 months since New Zealander Tony Brown was appointed as the Boks’ new attack guru, after head coach Rassie Erasmus admitted that the next Rugby World Cup probably won’t be won with a good defence, accurate kicking, and a top set-piece alone.

But the Boks have dished up a mixed bag of performances and results this year, after a relatively smooth transition to “Tony-ball” in 2024. The match against the Wallabies was a prime example — the Boks raced to a 22–0 lead against the Aussies at Ellis Park within 20 minutes, before conceding 38 unanswered points to lose the match.

The Boks were accused of overplaying in the second half, and supporters cried out for the team to go back to their traditional “skop, skiet en donner” approach. Back to the principles of Bok rugby — physicality in the collisions, a strong defence, accurate kicking, and a dominant set-piece.

But the Boks’ main issues haven’t stemmed from trying to be more innovative with ball in hand. It’s the fact that their traditional strengths haven’t been up to standard. Their attacking breakdown and lineout have been a mess. Their defence has been too passive. Their scrum, erratic.

The fact is, if the Boks don’t get the skop, skiet en donner right, then Tony-ball doesn’t work.

We saw that at Eden Park, where the Boks were dominated by the street-smart All Blacks at the breakdown and lineout. This effectively nullified their platforms to launch attacks, and they ended up wasting the vast majority of their 13 entries into the All Blacks’ 22.

But it was a totally different story in Wellington. For 80 minutes, we saw panache married perfectly with the brutal efficiency of the world’s most dominant forward pack.

The Boks didn’t abandon their roots in Wellington, far from it. Their scrum was punishing, high kicks accurate, defence relentless, and collisions thunderous.

From forward dominance emerged creativity. The Springboks didn’t just earn the right to go wide — they took it with speed, accuracy, and intent. And, crucially, the Boks didn’t lose structure, they simply played with freedom within their framework.

Brown’s influence hasn’t watered down the Boks’ identity, it has elevated it.

Of course, one win — even one as seismic as this — doesn't make a dynasty. But it does signal a shift. The Springboks now have dimensions they’ve not had in years. Brown’s philosophy gives them flexibility. They can still close out tight games with the boot and maul, but they can also cut loose, break lines, and score tries in multiples, as they did, emphatically, in Wellington.

The question ahead of 2027 is no longer whether South Africa can evolve. It’s how far they can take this fusion of fire and flair.

If Wellington is anything to go by, Tony-ball and the Boks’ skop, skiet en donner can be bedfellows… and the offspring may just be a fifth Rugby World Cup title.